So over the Oscar Trial already, thank goodness it’s come to an end, al last. Nuff already, are we going to now be besieged with the next one on the roster, Shrien Dewani I certainly hope not. On the bright side it’s a beautiful day in the Mother City of Cape Town a wee bit chilly this morning but its going to turn into a gorgeous day, so the weather peeps say, looking forward to it.

South Africa, Africa and the World’s pre-eminent Internet Jazz Social Lifestyle Radio Station and an essential broadcaster of good jazz music in all its various forms with Jazz, Blues, Latin and World Jazz being an integral part of the broadcast mix, enriching the social, cultural, educational and community experience of the listening audience, and also have All Jazz Radio, as one’s essential music listening home, where Jazz Lovers of the global village meet to share in our common social interest and lifestyle on the World Wide Web.

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Wadada Leo Smith

Composer/trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith’s The Great Lakes Suites to be released September 16 from the TUM label

Wadada Leo Smith’s new album The Great Lakes Suites

A two CD set featuring saxophonist/flutist Henry Threadgill, drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist John Lindberg – all of whom were born or spent their youths in cities near the Great Lakes. Smith himself lived in Chicago for several personally crucial years in the late 1960s and played with Threadgill and DeJohnette during the early days of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).

The CD includes six compositions that are each dedicated to and inspired by the Great Lakes.

“5-stars. They have created one of the freshest and most original sets of the new millennium.” – Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

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The new-look Standard Bank Joy of Jazz heading for a sell-out

Tickets for the new-look Standard Bank Joy of Jazz – which takes place at the Sandton Convention Centre from September 25 to 27 – are selling fast.

The relocation to Sandton means that, for the first time, audiences have been able to buy a full festival pass on Friday, September 26, and Saturday, September 27, to the four main stages – Dinaledi, Conga, Diphala and Mbira – in line with jazz festivals around the globe. Ticket sales show that jazz lovers have embraced this change.

Ninety percent of the full weekend passes have already been sold. Sixty five percent of Saturday passes have been bought and with more than fifty percent of Friday passes having been purchased by festivalgoers. Tickets to the opening night on the Dinaledi Stage are nearly sold out with three out of 17 hospitality suites still available.

Tickets are available at a 15 percent discount for all Standard Bank customers subject to availability and on presentation and usage of a valid Standard Bank debit, cheque and/or credit card at a Computicket outlet. The offer is limited to two tickets per person who meet the criteria. The offer is not available for online bookings. This discount is only available until August 31.

Sibongile Khumalo

This year’s line-up is one of the best in years and features jazz giants from across the world – including four-time Grammy Award winner Dianne Reeves; National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis and South African musical legends Sibongile Khumalo and Jonas Gwangwa. More than 75 performers are taking part. Others to look out for are British R&B legend Billy Ocean; this year’s Grammy recipient for Best Jazz Vocal Gregory Porter; trumpeter Roy Hargrove; Cameroon’s Richard Bona, Dwele from the US and Italian jazz singer and Grammy nominee Roberta Gambarini.

Peter Tladi

Event producer Peter Tladi of T-Musicman is delighted with ticket sales to date:

“The decision to move to Sandton because of increasing audience numbers, and to change the date of the festival to a month later, has been embraced by jazz lovers. We have an incredible line-up of talent from both South Africa and around the globe and are confident that this year’s festival will be a sell-out and one of the best ever.”

Tickets for Standard Bank Joy of Jazz are available through Computicket and Shoprite Checkers. The festival pass allows patrons access to all four venues at a cost of R750 for a day pass and R1250 for a weekend pass; allowing patrons to see all 16 concerts each day.

The 2014 Standard Bank Joy of Jazz is produced by T-Musicman and brought to audiences by Standard Bank in association with the Department of Arts & Culture; the City of Joburg, Gauteng Province and South African Tourism.

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Here a note from wonderful singer Carmen Lundy;

Carmen Lundy’s new album Soul to Soul

Greetings! It’s been a while since you last heard from me. I’ve been hard at work on my new album Soul To Soul to be released on September 23rd!

I began working on Soul To Soul well over a year ago in my studio, by composing or arranging all the music and then playing and recording all the instruments – including bass, drums, piano, guitar, and percussion. Since I wrote the music with specific players in mind for each respective instrument, I then reached out to the artists you hear on this new album. Each and every one of them brought their enormous talent and huge heart to the project. It was one of the most rewarding and inspiring experiences of my career!

I hope you’ll enjoy this musical journey as much as I enjoyed creating it for you. I’ll be touring with Patrice Rushen, Jamison Ross, Kenny Davis, Darryl Hall, and Andrew Renfroe for the SOUL TO SOUL Tour, so be sure to check the dates below to see if we’ll be near you!

And if you’re in the Los Angeles area, we’ll be celebrating with a CD Release Party at Blue Whale on October 10th at 8:30 pm.